Nine of Cups
The Nine of Cups appears when you need to focus on the cups you want to fill.
You can get what you wish for. Well, not always. But if you don’t wish and you don’t try, will you get there? I’d say the odds are looking like no.
Be careful what you wish for. And be clear. The Nine of Cups is a reminder that things can’t fall into place if you haven’t made places for them in your life.
Now is the time to reflect on your needs, personal, spiritual, and practical. Remove what stands in the way of receiving all the goodness in your life.
Is it attraction to the wrong people, the wrong goals? Is it the disbelief that you can have something good? The Nine of Cups is a reminder that clearing away what’s not in alignment with you, whether that be mental pictures and life path choices (or something else!), is needed before you can move forward. Perhaps you’re settling for less than you deserve.
Both the Nine of Cups and Ten of Cups are highly favorable. They suggest things are going to work out well, but like all tarot readings, it depends on where and how you meet the path that’s unfolding.
The Ten of Cups tends to be more family and community-oriented, although it can also be about your wishes and dreams coming together. The Nine of Cups also emphasizes focusing on what matters to you.
When drawn reversed, the Nine of Cups can turn on itself. You might have all you need, but deny or fail to enjoy it. Perhaps you feel like nothing is good enough.
On the other hand, maybe you’re feeling like things haven’t worked out the way you’ve wanted, despite putting in your best efforts. You might need a boost of support or to consider adjacent routes.
You could also be placing too much emphasis on external factors to find fulfillment, when your heart can be filled from the inside out. In this case, get into your heart and fill it with all the juicy morsels your spirit has to offer.
The reversal of this card can also indicate being over-satiated. You might be hoarding wealth, emotional support, or taking more than you need.
Maybe you’re so focused on your needs that you’re forgetting those around you. You may need to cultivate more empathy or curiosity towards those in your orbit or the sphere you inhabit.
I’ve seen the Nine of Cups drawn when people are overly protective of their resources. One reading I did saw a bar owner with over-the-top security and a tighter-than-needed hold on their finances. There was the potential to expand and collaborate, but they didn’t want to share.
Most often, the overly tight grip on one’s trophies (and losing circulation because of it) is seen when the card is reversed. However, this can also be the case if the cards are upright. Look for possessive-feeling cards to determine if that is the case.
I’ve also seen this card come up for seduction. You or someone around you is showing off, offering you all the things, either for good or with ill intention. Look to the surrounding cards to see if what you’re being shown is the real deal.
Most often, the Nine of Cups represents the potential to have what you want. But you have to get to the root of why you want it. As I said, be careful what you wish for, because you’ll likely get it; you want to make sure it’s right for you.
Sources
Greer, Mary. Archetypal Tarot. San Francisco, CA: Weiser Books, 2011.
Greer, Mary. Tarot Reversals. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2002.
Pollack, Rachel. Tarot Wisdom. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2008.
Snow, Cassandra. Queering the Tarot. Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, 2019.
Tea, Michelle. Modern Tarot. New York, NY: Harper Collins: 2017.
Wen, Benebell. Holistic Tarot: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot for Personal Growth. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2015.
Video
Tarot Spread
If you are drawn to the Nine of Cups and want to dig deeper, get them outta your deck, make them your mascot, and draw some cards from the rest of the deck with this tarot spread I created!
